Customer Satisfaction: The Key to Loyalty

It’s a fact: we are all so busy these days, and in our midst of being so busy, we can get much focused on that fact alone. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The more we focus on being busy, the more overwhelmed we can feel and therefore the more stressed we become. We feel like it is all too much. This is valid. This is often a fact. We are stretched.

Do you notice what is wrong here? It’s all about us. Where does our customer feature? Do we even stop and look up to engage with them in these busy times and work out what is going on for them? Stand in their shoes? The problem is, when we focus too much on ourselves we sever connection, we inhibit communication and then we can safely say that we don’t know what the problem with our customers is. And this is definitely a big mistake.

We cannot forget that customers are the reason we are in business and customer satisfaction is what keeps them coming back. It takes a huge effort to gain a new customer and only seconds to lose one. Service must be exemplary if we want to sustain and grow our customer base and ultimately our business.

In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for clients, customer satisfaction is seen as a key distinguishing element. Businesses who succeed in these cut-throat environments are the ones that make customer satisfaction a key element of their business strategy.

The customer perceives value based on the full service experience. All the staff, not only the customer service employees, can make or break the customer’s experience with your product or service. Value is worth more than simply meeting cost objectives and performance expectations. Value and cost are not equal.

Loyal customers are more inclined to share their positive experience and making recommendation of a business to their friends.

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful channel of marketing, if not the most. They reinforce your brand in the mind of consumers that are unfamiliar and new to your brand. They’ll also provide honest, quality feedback that you can use for further improvements in your performance.

By simply putting your attention out and creating levels of empathy and engagement with your customers, you can start to engage on a level which is genuinely meaningful for both parties. You ‘see’ your customers. You are able to ‘park’ your own stuff for a while to be fully with them. This informs the personal and it also informs the business.

It is an investment of your time and it is so completely worth it for:

1) Them - It shows you care, they see you as an individual and not just an entity, and you can genuinely engage and understand what is going on for them. Customer satisfaction achieved.

2) The Business - By ensuring you have the real information of how things look within your grasp, you can place your business in a win/win position, which is crucial for longevity. Business satisfaction achieved.

3) You - Guess what happens when you get your attention off of yourself? You calm down. You put things in perspective. And you start to see solutions too. Health, happiness and well-being achieved.

This rapport building, listening and understanding exercise will definitely pave a strong way to loyalty, whatever business sector you are in. Loyalty is two way. It is a win/win. Why would you chose to lose? Let us know your thoughts on customer loyalty, there’s always room for improvement!

A key factor for customer satisfaction is to make sure you have a proper plan in case disaster strikes. Have you ticked the box? If not, download our Disaster Recovery Guide to navigate any storm away from your face.

This blog post was brought to you in collaboration with Dannie Lu Carr, Founder and Director of Flaming Poppy.